Malicious Intent

Do you remember the Rhode Island nightclub fire back in 2003? 100 people died and 200 more were injured. The clubs owners, two brothers, were sentenced today. One of them got 4 years in prison. The other got probation. They'll both have to complete countless hours of community service. Earlier this year, the third person involved, was also sentenced to 4 years in prison. Family members of the victims were, and still are, outraged at the light sentences. I, however, am not.

I've thought long and hard about this aspect of crime and punishment. How should you punish someone who commits a "crime" but had no malicious intent? What is the appropriate sentence for an accident?

First, a disclaimer: I've never lost a loved one to any type of crime. I don't know what it feels like. But my opinions on crime and punishment haven't changed much. I've always gravitated towards a more forgiving approach. I still do...especially when it comes to accidental crimes. (Pre-meditated crimes are a different story and I won't delve into that now).

I feel as much sympathy for those two nightclub owners as I do for the victims' family members. I know people were lost. But those responsible do not deserve to spend 10, 15, 20 years in prison. They never dreamed of hurting anyone. And for most, the weight on their conscience will have more of an effect on them than any lengthy prison term.

I don't know that I have a point. I just wanted to share my opinion. I don't know if that opinion would change if I was affected personally by a tragedy. I'd like to think my forgiving attitude would triumph. Hopefully I'll never have to test the theory out.

OVERLOAD!!!

I have so much to say, so much to write about, and so much to contemplate. My head's about to burst.

First of all, I enjoyed my trip back home. I'll be heading back to Montana on Tuesday afternoon. (Fortunately the vacation's not over. I'll spend the rest of the week in glorious Glacier). It was fun but it was stressful. I always stretch myself too thin when I come home. Everyone wants to see you and everyone wants you to spend time with them. So, in an effort to please everyone, I end up pleasing no one. It was overwhelming. And to everyone I wasn't able to hang out with...I'm sorry. Perhaps we'll have more time together if and when I live in this city permanently. (It also would have been nice to meet some of you blogspt acquaintances out there and share a cup of coffee. Alas, that's for the future.) Moral of the story. Keep it simple when you're on vacation. You'll thank yourself later.

My sister is evil. I went to the restaurant where she worked and she guilt-tripped me into ordering a drink called the Death Star. It's huge and it contains a lot of alcohol. It is tasty but WAY too much for me.

I miss my cat. Lame, I know. But I do. My parents just don't have the time or energy to look after him in the same way I did for so long. He's gotten so fat. He's not very active...and that's saying something for an animal that normally sleeps 23 hours a day. I want to take him home to Bozeman with me. But I can't have pets in my apartment. It's sad. I just get the feeling that he's depressed and there's nothing I can do about it. Does this mean I'd be a bad parent?

I watched a little TV when I was home. I'll agree with urban princess and say ABC does have some damn good shows. I'm a fan of Brothers & Sisters. Luckily for me, it's on Sunday night's so I'll be able to watch. (On a side note: Here's a strange little TV news fact that no one will care about. Some TV stations have started to have their main anchor teams work Sunday through Thursday nights because of primetime line-ups. In essence, Fridays are being abandoned.)

Every family has drama and mine is no exception. I'm not one to air dirty laundry though. Let's just say there are issues that I only discovered in coming home for a little while. We'll get through it just fine though. In thinking about it all for the past few days I've only reached one heartfelt conclusion: Sometimes it's hard to love troubled people...and yet it's the troubled ones that need the most love. That answers no questions. I just believe it's an over-arching theme to keep in mind when dealing with familial issues.

Kathryn and I did what we normally do when we get together. We went to The Olive Garden. I've expressed disgust at what was done with my favorite OG dessert. After complaining, the company basically said, "I'm sorry for the inconvenience. Here's a gift card to find a new favorite." I attempted to do just that. I'm still not happy. The two new dessert items could be found anywhere at ANY restaurant. Chocolate Lasagna was unique. It was special. No one else had anything like it. And now it's gone...to be replaced by drab concoctions that Applebee's, TGIFriday's, or Chili's could come up with. I'm sorely disappointed. (I did like the new pasta dish I tried. :)

I've been eating like a pig since I've been home. Frankly, I don't care.

"Wow Lincoln. That's so cool that you're doing something you've always wanted to do. You've followed your dream." Countless people have expressed that to me ever since I started my job as a news anchor....and there was a new round of congratulations during my visit home. But I'm not quite sure how to respond when people say that. In my head I'm thinking, "yeah...it is pretty cool. What about you?" When people comment on me landing my "dream job" they do so with an air of wistfulness...as if they themselves can't follow their own dreams. There's a lot I'd like to say about this but for now, I'll keep it brief. I realize we all live under our own set of circumstances. But dammit people, if you have dreams...go for them. You'll come out better in the end.

Home sweet home

I arrived in the city by the salty lake on Friday afternoon.

Say what you will about Utah, it's capital city, or the many Mormons who live therein but I happen to like this place. I've missed it.

In driving around the past day or so, I'm overwhelmed at how big this city is. I realize it's because I've spent so much time in "remote" areas the past 5 years. Bozeman seems like a quaint little village compared to Salt Lake. Yet life in Bozeman seems like life in the "city" compared to living in national parks. It's all very strange. I find it exhilarating. I find it depressing. I find it vibrant. I find it crowded. I find it welcoming. I find it scary. I guess I just don't know what to think of it.

There is one aspect of city life that terrifies me. It's the ability to get lost. I'm not speaking directionally. I can find my way around almost anywhere. By lost, I mean overlooked. Cities seem like they can swallow a person. Individuality is lost. The mass of people that dwell within the city is just that....a mass. One person is inconsequential. I don't like feeling inconsequential.

My fears are a little absurd. Most of us have connections with people that make us feel needed and appreciated. I, myself, have my entire family in Salt Lake so I don't know that I'd ever feel "swallowed" in this town. But what about those lonely souls who don't have anybody? To me, they appear more lost and forgotten within a big city.

And I'm only talking about Salt Lake. I may feel even more discouraged if I went to New York.

BUT...I still like being home. A huge part of me wants to live in Salt Lake forever. For now though, I'll just be content with my short visit. Mom and Dad are happy to see me. My cat purrs happily in my lap. The dusted Wasatch Mountains feel welcome and comforting.

It's good to be home.

Everything Ends

I'm obviously late in my accolades but can I just say the last season of Six Feet Under was awesome. (More than that, the last 5 minutes of the last episode...I got chills)

I was a Six Feet Under fan the first time it debuted on HBO. I was loyal in my viewership right up through season 3. Then, as I begin to wander and live the seasonal life, my favorite TV shows fell by the wayside. Six Feet Under was no exception.

Fast forward to a few days ago when I was in the video store. I saw the final season there on the racks and thought, "well no time like the present to catch up." (I mistakenly believed I had seen season 4. Now I realize that's not true so I'll have to go back and watch that as well. I hate doing things out of order). So I spent last weekend in my apartment watching the final season. What a damn good show. I have a serious crush on Lauren Ambrose.

In other news, I am comin' home this weekend. I'm excited to see my family and my cat. Although I'm sure he either hates me or doesn't remember me.

It's raining in Bozeman. I dislike the rain. I don't mind sunshine. I don't mind clouds. I don't even mind the snow. But rain...is just...too wet.

One final thought: Does anyone know anything about the broadway musical Wicked. I'm intrigued by it and I'd like to know more.

"Summer" in Montana

I love AND loathe Montana for the following reason.

It is still technically "Summer" and yet this is what it's supposed to look like this weekend in the mountains around Bozeman.



I'm not exactly ready to freeze my ass off.

Man, summer was short.

A New Day

While I've been annoyed to no end by those "It's a New Day!" ads for the Today Show, I've decided to play copycat once again and use it to talk about the new beginnings at the station I work for. Above is a picture of the new and improved anchor team. Steve's our sports director/anchor. He's been around for a while. The new addition is Jenny. We're all very excited to have her with us. She's doing an awesome job...but it is interesting to see someone go through the rookie learning curve that I did. Hopefully the three of us will be together for a while.

On to other news though.

It's getting cold. I can feel the air changing. Summer is short in Montana. While I'm not dreading winter, I am sorry to see summer go. It's been a good ride.

Having my own place is AWESOME! It makes me wonder how I'll be able to share space with someone if I ever get married. I'm growing dangerously accustomed to my very own space.

I've mocked MySpace even after joining. Now, I'm realizing the benefits. It really does put you in touch with old friends. The level of communication with these long, lost souls probably won't improve much. But at least we can check up on each other and see how life is going.

Kathryn admitted to me today that she's taken up jogging. (Sorry if that's a secret Kathryn) I nearly laughed my ass off. Perhaps if Kathryn can grow to love exercise, she can grow to love Montana.

I hate politics. So much of what I do as a journalist is political in nature and I hate it. I'm dreading Election Day.

I mentioned in an earlier post that I'm now riding my bike to work. Well I recently met a girl who got pulled over for not completely stopping at a stop sign. $130 ticket. Only...she wasn't in a car. She was on her freakin' bike! I was stunned. I didn't even know that was possible.

I want a dog....or a cat. I want some sort of animal companion. But I can't get one.

Why does traffic in such a small town like Bozeman suck so bad?

Oh...and I broke a mirror today. A big one. I found out the bad luck superstition came from the Romans. Stupid Romans.

Smoked Out

For the past week or so I've woken up, looked out my bedroom window, and gazed upon a thick, brown, smokey haze hovering over the Gallatin Valley. The Bridger Mountains, normally visible, seem to have disappeared.

So much for Montana's clean air.

I'm sick of the fires. From a journalist's perspective, I love covering them. From a citizen's perspective, it's disgusting. The smell of smoke is getting old. My eyes burn all the time. People around town are coughing constantly. It's making me crave the crisp, cold air of winter. Anything to get this haze out of the air.

In other news, some of my Glacier friends and some of my work friends traveled up to the Garnet Mountain Lookout Tower for an overnight stay.

It was awesome. I've known you could stay in Forest Service cabins and towers for year but I had no idea how luxurious they were (well....as luxurious as you can get for an old cabin at the top of a mountain). The hike was intense but the view was well worth it.

A few other thoughts: Goodbye Steve Irwin - I wasn't what you'd call a loyal fan but I was sad to see you go. Reliving 9/11 - I still think about what happened that day and I'm shocked. What a horrific day...and yet as a journalist, I wish I could have been there covering it. Coffee - I've been drinking too much of it. I need to stop.

That's all for now. Later.

Copy Kat

So I introduced the love of my life to a new game. She, being the queen of all things blog-like and cool, decided to share the the game with all the world on her own blog. I, being the one who has followed and copied every single one of Kathryn's blogospheric ideas, decided to do the same. The game is called:

(Your name) reminds me of

1. Go to Google.
2. Type in "(Your name) reminds me of." (Make sure you put you quotes around the whole things)
3. Pick out the funniest entry that you can find and post it in the comments.

Since I don't have as big of a fan following as Kathryn does, I don't expect many replies. But I know there are some of you out there who read this blog and never leave your input. (That includes you, Mom.) So, take a stab at something different, and play along.

As for my own results. I found the following beauty:

"Lincoln reminds me of a president, a car, and a city in Nebraska. I definitely wouldn't choose it as a name for a child."